Elizabeth watched as Aria walked away with her little brother, her expression calm and warm. The way she smiled, so effortlessly, so innocently, would have been an endearing sight to anyone else. But Elizabeth knew the truth—the power that lay hidden beneath that gentle smile. And because she knew, she couldn't bring herself to appreciate it the same way others did.

  Letting out a quiet sigh, she turned her gaze toward Ariana, who stood beside her with her arms crossed, looking thoroughly irritated. The girl’s red hair, still slightly tousled from the earlier scuffle, framed her face, accentuating the frustration in her narrowed eyes.

  "Do you know what your mistake was?" Elizabeth asked, her voice devoid of warmth.

  Ariana scoffed, clicking her tongue in irritation. "Tch…" She didn't answer immediately, shifting her weight to one side like she had better things to do than stand here and be lectured.

  When she finally did speak, her tone was defensive, almost accusatory. "It’s not my fault. No one told me something as important as an Esper having a twin who doesn’t have powers. A heads-up would’ve been nice, don’t you think?"

  Elizabeth's eyes sharpened, her expression turning cold.

  "The fact that you even attempted to use your power against a fellow Esper is already grounds for punishment," she said, her tone unwavering.

  Ariana tensed, but she didn't back down. She met Elizabeth’s gaze with defiance, though there was the slightest flicker of unease in her eyes. Elizabeth’s expression darkened as she observed Ariana’s reaction. There was a flicker of hesitation in her voice as she asked, "Can you still use your power?"

  Ariana furrowed her brows, confused by the question. "What kind of—" she began, but seeing the seriousness in Elizabeth’s face, she decided not to argue. Instead, she raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

  Nothing happened.

  "Eh… what?" Ariana muttered, her eyes widening in disbelief.

  Elizabeth's concern deepened as she watched the red-haired girl attempt it again. Another snap. Then another. Still nothing.

  Ariana scowled, snapping her fingers multiple times in rapid succession, growing increasingly frustrated. Her breath came out in huffs, and Elizabeth could see her jaw clenching.

  "What the hell is this?" Ariana muttered under her breath, her voice laced with irritation.

  Then, finally—

  A small burst of flame flickered to life in her palm. It wavered unsteadily before stabilizing, far weaker than it should have been.

  Ariana stared at the flame, her face a mix of relief and unease. She clenched her fist, extinguishing it, then tried again. This time, the flame sparked to life immediately, but there was still something off about it. It wasn’t as effortless as before.

  “What the heck is happening…?" Ariana murmured, flexing her fingers. "Why am I struggling to use my power now?”

  Elizabeth remained silent for a moment, her thoughts racing. So, it wasn’t completely gone—but the effect was still undeniable.

  Aria had done something to her.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The implications of that realization sent a cold chill down Elizabeth’s spine. This was dangerous. If Aria had the ability to suppress or weaken the power of an Esper, then—

  She forced herself to take a steady breath. Right now, she needed to focus on Ariana.

  "You should consider yourself lucky," Elizabeth finally said, her voice quieter now but no less firm.

  Ariana scowled, crossing her arms. "Lucky? How the hell am I lucky? My power isn’t working properly, and you’re telling me I should be grateful for that?"

  Elizabeth didn’t respond right away. Instead, she observed Ariana carefully, as if weighing her next words. Finally, she spoke, her tone measured. "Complaining won’t change what happened. Your powers came back, didn’t they?"

  Ariana clicked her tongue in irritation. "Yeah, after struggling like an idiot in front of you. That’s never happened to me before!" She raised her hand again, summoning another flame. This time, it responded instantly, burning bright and steady. But the fact remained—something had disrupted it before.

  Elizabeth’s expression remained unreadable. "Regardless, you lost control, and that alone is reason enough to report back."

  Ariana stiffened. "Wait. You’re not planning to write me up for this, are you?"

  Elizabeth gave her a sharp look. "Attacking someone in broad daylight? Using your power recklessly? Which ‘this’ you are referring?"

  Ariana gritted her teeth. "I thought she was someone else…"

  "That doesn't change what happened," Elizabeth cut in, her tone final. "Now, follow me back to headquarters. We need to address this properly."

  Ariana hesitated, glancing at her hands one last time before sighing in frustration. "Tch. Fine."

  ***

  At the Miyazaki residence, the evening air was quiet—at least until Irana casually called out, "Hey, old man, I got a message from Elizabeth-sensei."

  Her father, who had been reading through some documents, immediately frowned. "Did something happen to Aria?" His voice carried a sharp edge of concern.

  "Yeah," Irana answered, leaning against the doorway. "Elizabeth-sensei said there was a little problem. Another Esper mistook her for me and attacked her."

  Her father sighed, rubbing his temple. "There are still people who confuse the two of you?"

  Irana shrugged. "We are twins. Guess people just forget that sometimes."

  Her father’s expression darkened slightly. "Where is she now?"

  "At the arcade with Yuuji," Irana replied. "Seems like Elizabeth can’t keep an eye on her at the moment, so she asked us to take over."

  Her father stood up, already preparing to leave. "Alright, let’s head out right now."

  Irana blinked. " Both of us?"

  "Yeah. Who else?" he said simply, as if it were obvious.

  She sighed. "Fine, fine. Should we let Mom know we’re going out?"

  "Nah," her father said, waving a hand dismissively. "She’s too busy being a Vcuber right now."

  Before Irana could process that response, he suddenly grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up.

  "Eh—?! Put me down! I can walk on my own!"

  "Walk? That would take too long."

  Then, without any further warning, he stepped outside—and flew straight into the sky.

  "EH?! YOU CAN FLY?!" Irana shouted, clutching onto him in shock.

  Her father chuckled. "Of course. Did you really think I couldn’t?"

  “I thought your power was just telekinesis…” Irana said, still gripping onto her father’s coat for dear life as they soared through the sky. The wind rushed past her face, and despite her initial panic, she had to admit—flying like this was kind of cool.

  Her father chuckled, adjusting his hold on her effortlessly. “That’s just the classification people gave it,” he replied. “But my power is much more than simple telekinesis.”

  Irana raised an eyebrow. “So you’re saying you can do more than just move stuff with your mind?”

  He smirked. “Oh, way more. If I wanted to, I could probably crush an entire building or toss a mountain into the sea.”

  Irana’s eyes widened. “Wait—what?! You’re joking, right?”

  Her father gave her a teasing look. “Am I?”

  Irana gulped. She had always known her father was strong, but she had never really thought about how strong he was. The way he was casually flying through the sky like it was nothing made her wonder just how much he had been holding back.

  “Anyway,” he continued, “you should start thinking about your own power, too.”

  “What about it?” Irana asked.

  Her father glanced at her, his expression turning more serious. “Is it really just controlling and conjuring ice?”

  Irana blinked. “Well… yeah? What else would it be?”

  Her father sighed. “That’s what I used to think about my own ability. Just moving things with my mind. But as I trained, I realized my power wasn’t limited to just one function. There’s always something deeper.”

  Irana frowned, his words lingering in her mind. Could her ice powers actually be more than what she thought?